February 24, 2009 - Lowell, Mass. - In today's demanding hospital environment, hospitals face a more sophisticated audience - one that demands connectivity, more privacy, and a full range of hospitality services. Lowell General Hospital is only the second hospital in the Northeast and one of only 40 in the nation to implement a new groundbreaking interactive patient system developed by Skylight Healthcare Systems.

This fully customized multimedia experience, called Skylight ACCESS®, offers patients custom hospital information, the ability to request meals and services, a full medical library with hundreds of patient educational videos on-demand, full internet connectivity, complimentary movies and entertainment - all available on new 42" flat panel televisions programmable from the patient's bed.

Empowering patients in their personal healthcare decisions while providing hotel-style amenities, this interactive system is Lowell General's response to consistently improving the quality of care and increasing patient satisfaction.

The Skylight ACCESS system provides patients with customized health information, education and interactive services - all at the bedside. Skylight ACCESS has demonstrated improved patient satisfaction and outcomes, while enhancing the entire patient care continuum for health care professionals, patients, and their families.

By launching the Skylight system, LGH will be able to increase the time clinicians spend providing direct patient care and improve the effectiveness of patient education efforts. Combining Lowell's unsurpassed clinical quality and compassionate care with the latest in-room technology will empower patients to partner in their own care and encourage positive collaboration between patients and caregivers.

"Our goal is to provide our patients and their loved ones with the highest quality health care and personal comfort throughout their stay," said Normand E. Deschene, Lowell General Hospital President and CEO. "Skylight ACCESS helps us to achieve this goal by providing extensive offering in health education, entertainment, and interactive communication that allows our clinical team to provide the most compassionate care possible. We are very pleased to be the first hospital in the greater Boston area to introduce this type of patient-centered service.

"Highlighted by quality and expertise in a wide variety of medical specialties, Lowell General Hospital is at the leading edge of specialized treatment options and quality care. We are pleased to have had ACCESS selected by Lowell as part of their patient satisfaction strategy and commitment to comprehensive services, compassionate care and clinical excellence" said David Schofield, President and CEO of Skylight. "Lowell has set the standard for excellence in patient care and satisfaction, and we are honored to help them achieve their mission of improving the health and the quality of life of the patients they serve."

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